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Wednesday 20 November 2013

Joke - Why Sharks Circle You Before Attacking

Two great white sharks swimming in the ocean spied survivors of a sunken ship.

"Follow me son" the father shark said to the son shark and they swam to the Mass of people.

"First we swim around them a few times with just the tip of our fins showing."
And they did.
 
"Well done, son! Now we swim around them a few times with all of our Fins showing." 

And they did.
 
"Now we eat everybody." And they did.
 
When they were both gorged, the son asked, "Dad, why didn't we just 
Eat them all at first? Why did we swim around and around them?"


His wise father replied, "Because they taste better without the shit inside!" 

No need to thank me, I just try to learn something new every day.


















Recipe - Youtiao Stuffed With Fish Paste

Youtiao or crispy crullers are a popular snack in Singapore. It is a key ingredient in Rojak  but it is nice on its own.

The youtiao is very often served together with a bowl of congee (or chok). The crispy youtiao can also be combined with fillings of squid paste or fish paste to make it a wholesome meal and to add variety to your meals.

In this recipe, I make a fish paste from the sutchi fish fillet which is ideal as it is boneless. To make the fish paste, I blend the sutchi fillet with sesame oil, salt and mint leaves for flavour. I happen to have mint leaves, if not, spring onions will do.

For the youtiao, I bought 3 pairs of ready to eat youtiao, split them out and cut into 4 pieces each. For each piece, I use a pair of scissors to cut a slit along the length of the youtiao for  the fish paste filling.

Ingredients (serve 5)

3 pairs of youtiao, cut and slit in the middle.
youtiao

Fish paste

250 gms sutchi fillet blended
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbs of chopped mint leaves

Method

For the youtiao, separate the youtiao pairs. Cut into 4 sections each and snip open the youtiao lengthwise.

For the fish paste, mix the paste well.

Stuff the fish paste into the cavity of the youtiao and pat it neatly.

At this stage, the youtiao can be pan fried or bake in the oven.

I bake them in the oven, using top heat at 150 deg C for 10 minutes, with fish paste facing up.

Serve warm and enjoy the crunchy youtiao with fish paste. If you like, serve with tartar sauce or mayonnaise.

  


A short video on how to make youtiao



A nice video that explains how to make the youtiao in details



How to make fish paste.



Wednesday 13 November 2013

How To Season A New Wok

All new woks have to be seasoned to make them non-stick.

This video shows how to season a carbon steel wok. Cast iron wok can also be seasoned the same way.





This is for black steel wok.



Tuesday 12 November 2013

Marina Coastal Expressway

When the new Marina Coastal Expressway opens on 29 December 2013, motorists will need to take note of some road changes. Click on to watch a video summarising the changes and what to expect. 






Sunday 10 November 2013

Joke - Waiting For The Door

A defendant was on trial for murder. There was strong evidence indicating guilt, but there was no body. In the defense’s closing statement, his high priced lawyer, knowing there is a good chance his client will be convicted, resorted to one of his best tricks.
“Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I have a surprise for you all,” the lawyer said as he looked at his watch.
pointing man

Within one minute, the person presumed dead in this case will walk into this courtroom.” And he turned and pointed at the courtroom door.
The jurors, somewhat stunned, all looked on eagerly. A minute passed.
Nothing happened.
Finally the lawyer said, “Actually, I made up the previous statement. But you all looked on with anticipation. I therefore put to you that you have a reasonable doubt in this case as to whether anyone was killed and insist that you return a verdict of not guilty.”
The jury, clearly confused, retired to deliberate.
jury

A few minutes later, the jury returned and pronounced a verdict of guilty.
“But how?” inquired the lawyer. “You must have had some doubt; I saw all of you stare at the door!!”
The jury foreman replied: “Oh, we did."


"But your client didn’t.

Monday 4 November 2013

Enjoying Life - The Mexican Fisherman

The American investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellow fin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.
The Mexican replied, "Only a little while."
The American then asked, "Why didn't you stay out longer and catch more fish?"
The Mexican said, "With this I have more than enough to support my family's needs."
The American then asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"
The Mexican fisherman said, "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siesta with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos, I have a full and busy life."
The American scoffed, "I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing; and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat: With the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats. Eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor; eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then Los Angeles and eventually New York where you will run your ever- expanding enterprise."
The Mexican fisherman asked, "But, how long will this all take?"
To which the American replied, "15 to 20 years."
"But what then?" asked the Mexican.
The American laughed and said that's the best part. "When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions."
"Millions?...Then what?"
The American said, "Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos."

MORAL – You don’t need to wait for tomorrow to be happy and enjoy your life. You don’t even need to be more rich, more powerful to enjoy life. LIFE is at this moment, enjoy it fully.

As some great men have said “My riches consist not in extent of my possessions but in the fewness of my wants”.

Friday 1 November 2013

Recipe - How To Make Pickled Mustard Green (Kiam Chye)

The pickled mustard green is sweet, sour, salty and crunchy preserved vegetable. It is a very versatile ingredient for making soup and stir fry. It is also eaten on its own as a side dish. I use it often to add flavour in steaming fish. It is also easily available in the market or supermarket. A very popular recipe is the kiam chye ark or duck with salted mustard leaves (link)

But if you like to make you own pickled mustard green, here is my take. Making your own pickled mustard green means you can make it less salty, sweet or sour according to your taste.

This recipe is broken into 2 parts. The first part is to prepare the mustard green and the second part is to pickle the mustard.

(Note. I added a chilli to spice up the pickle)

Part A

Mustard Green

300gms fresh mustard green
80gms salt
360mls water


Method

Cut mustard green into bite size and soak in salt solution for about 7 to 8 hours
After 7 to 8 hours drain off water and wash 4 times to reduce saltiness.
Then squeeze out excess water from the mustard green
Place the mustard green in a container

Part B

Sugar Vinegar Solution

Ingredients 
1 part sugar
3 parts water
1 part vinegar

Method

Boil the ingredients
Turn off heat once solution is boiled and wait for 6 minutes
Pour sugar vinegar into the container of mustard green 
Let it cool
Cover and keep in the fridge
After 2 days the pickled mustard green is ready to be eaten.

Enjoy
 


A four minute video on how to make the pickled mustard green.